This Q&A is part of Observer’s Expert Insights series, where industry leaders, innovators and strategists distill years of experience into direct, practical takeaways and deliver clarity on the issues shaping their industries. In San Diego, Oram Hotels is testing a provocative idea: what if hospitality didn’t just display art, but actively participated in its creation?
At the center of this experiment is the Granger Hotel, a Romanesque landmark built in 1902 and meticulously restored as a design-forward cultural anchor. As San Diego’s only Design Hotels property, the Granger occupies a rare position at the intersection of architectural heritage, contemporary creativity and civic life. Now, under the curatorial leadership of international art advisor Jennifer Findley, founder of the JFiN Collective and Oram’s newly appointed Director of Arts & Culture, the property is entering its next phase as a living cultural space.
Findley, whose practice spans private collections, museums and institutional partnerships, is spearheading a first-of-its-kind collaboration with UC San Diego’s renowned Stuart Collection. Rather than staging traditional hotel exhibitions, the partnership embeds artists in residence during the research and development phase of major public artworks, using the hotel as a generative base for experimentation, immersion and site-responsive creation. The inaugural artist, Los Angeles–based sculptor Max Hooper Schneider, will be followed by Mexico City–based collective RojoNegro and fashion designer Carla Fernández in 2026, extending Oram’s vision across borders, disciplines and communities.
This shift is unfolding in close collaboration with Kevin Mansour, co-founder and managing director of Oram Hotels, whose development and operational strategy positions cultural programming as a foundational element of a property’s identity. Together, Findley and Mansour are rethinking what hotels can be: active sites of cultural production rather than passive exhibition spaces. The two are exploring how embedding artists early reshapes both the economics and ethos of hospitality, how the return on cultural investment can be measured beyond aesthetics and why patience, authorship and site-specificity are becoming strategic advantages rather than luxuries. As the boundaries between art, design and experience continue to blur, Oram’s model points toward a future in which hospitality operates as a living system that creates meaning, memory and place.
Oram Hotels is positioning art not as décor but as a living component of the guest experience. What inspired you to take this approach, and how does it shift the economics or brand identity of a hospitality group?
Jennifer Findley and Kevin Mansour: We felt that hospitality was missing an opportunity to connect on a deeper level. We didn’t want the art to just hang there; we wanted it to invite guests to pause and ask questions. Guests visit us from all over the world—we aim to inspire them in a completely new way that engages the senses. Collaborating with internationally recognized but locally-based partners like art advisor Jennifer Findley and the JFiN Collective, as well as UC San Diego and the Stuart Collection, is integral to creating our authentically curated vision.
From a brand perspective, this approach humanizes us. It shifts the focus from simple luxury to shared discovery. Economically, we find that when a guest connects emotionally with a space—when they feel they’ve learned something or seen something beautiful—they value the stay differently. It’s less about transaction and more about memory. We aren’t just selling a room; we’re offering a moment of reflection, and guests seem to really appreciate that.
Hotels have long integrated art collections, but your model embeds artists during the research and development phase of major works. What makes this residency model strategically different for both artists and hospitality partners?
JF and KM: By bringing the “arts in residence,” we’re building a fundamentally different model because it positions the hotel as an active part of the creative process—the hotels are not simply a place for display. Instead of producing pieces for the hotel, artists use the hotel as a home base and source of inspiration and a generative place for their work.
For many artists—especially those whose practices respond to landscape, light, environmental stimuli, social context or local ecology—immersion is essential. Being here gives them direct access to the ocean, the city’s rhythms, the vibrancy of the border region and the particular qualities of Southern California light. These elements have long shaped the region’s artistic history, and the residency allows artists to engage with them in real time.
For those working with the Stuart Collection, this proximity offers a deeper understanding of the community and the cultural environment their work will ultimately enter. The residency gives them time and space to build projects rooted in San Diego’s distinct sense of place.
We’re also reimagining what a “residency” can be by granting artists access to the building’s historic, often unseen spaces—vaults, underground corridors and raw, character-rich areas rarely experienced by guests. These environments become living laboratories for research, experimentation and site-responsive creation—possibilities that traditional hospitality settings simply don’t offer. We aim to give artists a true home away from home.
For artists, this model supports a richer, context-driven creative process. The goal is not merely display; even when a work is exhibited onsite, it may later travel and take on new meanings, but the hotel remains part of its origin story. For hospitality partners, the model transforms the hotel from a passive collector into an active cultural collaborator—supporting work that is born from the place itself and deepening the hotel’s role within the city’s creative ecosystem.
From a business standpoint, how do you measure the return on investment in cultural programming? Is the value primarily reputational, or does it translate into measurable guest engagement and revenue growth?
JF and KM: We measure ROI in cultural programming through both tangible metrics and intangible impact—and the two reinforce each other. Thoughtful art changes how people feel in a space. Guests often describe an immediate sense of calm or connection, and we’ve already seen repeat visits because the hotel feels like home. Even for one-time guests, we aim for the experience to leave a lasting, personal connection to San Diego’s culture.
There’s also a mission-driven component: showcasing Southern California artists to a global audience and fostering dialogue between international and regional artists. When travelers encounter the depth and diversity of the creative community here, it elevates the city’s cultural profile and positions the hotel as a place that genuinely invests in its surroundings.
And it absolutely shows up in measurable engagement. We’re seeing increased social activity, press coverage, word-of-mouth momentum and deeper engagement from both locals and travelers. Guests are posting about the atmosphere, writing about their experience and seeking us out specifically because art is part of the hotel’s identity. That visibility drives revenue growth, strengthens loyalty and supports the property’s long-term value.
The Granger Hotel’s partnership with UC San Diego’s Stuart Collection is among the first of its kind between a hospitality group and a university art collection. What does this type of institutional collaboration make possible that a traditional hotel-curator relationship might not?
It may not be the very first, but it is certainly without precedent or roadmap—we are innovating a new model. This partnership elevates the cultural role of a hotel—as a curated community hub—in a way a traditional hotel-curator relationship simply can’t. San Diego has an incredibly creative and inspired community, yet it’s often overshadowed by larger art hubs like L.A. and New York. By joining forces with UC San Diego’s Stuart Collection—one of the great public art collections—we’re shining a light on the depth of culture that already exists here and giving it focused visibility.
Instead of operating independently, the hotel becomes part of an institutional ecosystem that has shaped the region’s artistic landscape. It allows us to participate in meaningful cultural production, not just presentation, and to amplify the voices of artists working at the highest level. Through this collaboration, the Granger helps open a new chapter for the city—one where San Diego is recognized not just for its beaches and weather, but as a place where significant art is created, experienced and celebrated.
Kevin, how does integrating art and culture at the foundation of a property’s identity influence design, development timelines and overall operational strategy?
KM: It definitely teaches us patience. You can’t rush the creative process if you want it to feel genuine. Instead of building a room and then finding a painting to match the room design, we try to bring artists into the conversation before the plans are even finalized. In some cases, the artists will go first to anchor the space and the rest of the design follows.
It does extend our timelines, but we view that extra time as an investment in the building’s character. Operationally, it changes the role of our team. They become storytellers. We encourage our staff to engage with the art so they can share that enthusiasm with guests. It makes the day-to-day operation feel much more personal and collaborative.
Jennifer, your curatorial approach emphasizes the creative process over presentation. What does it mean for guests—and the surrounding community—to experience art in progress rather than as a finished product?
JF: For me, artistic process and visual presentation can’t be separated. Emphasizing the creative process means recognizing that the journey of creation and its experiments, organic shifts and moments of discovery ultimately shape an artwork. By allowing guests and the surrounding community to witness and meaningfully engage with artistic process, we offer a depth of understanding that cannot be achieved by seeing only the final object in situ.
When people observe how an artist thinks, communicates, researches, sketches or tests materials, the public’s relationship to the work becomes real, personal and deeply meaningful. They connect with the work on a distinct and transcendent level. It expands appreciation and creates a sense of connection—not just to the art itself, but to the artist as creator who is a living presence within the city.
For the artists, creating in this environment means absorbing the energy, landscape and culture of the community as they work. These influences become embedded in the final piece, strengthening the cultural fabric of the region and contributing to the city’s evolving creative legacy. Experiencing art in progress transforms the hotel—and the wider community—into active participants in a work that embodies the ethos of the city.
There’s often tension between artistic autonomy and commercial imperatives. How do you strike a balance between creating genuine cultural impact and meeting the demands of a luxury hospitality brand?
JF and KM: Luxury hospitality and artistic autonomy don’t have to compete with each other; when approached with intention, they can meaningfully elevate one another. Luxury environments often shape what guests notice, appreciate and remember. That visibility becomes a powerful platform for artists—an opportunity to share the depth of their stories, materials and ideas with audiences who may not otherwise encounter their work in a traditional white cube. When genuine artistic rigor meets the standards of a refined space, cultural depth and luxury become mutually reinforcing rather than competitive.
Most artists already navigate the balance between creative exploration and the practical realities of sustaining their practice. The commercial dimension isn’t inherently a compromise—it can be what enables them to keep pushing boundaries. Our responsibility is to create conditions where that exploration can unfold authentically, while presenting the work in a way that elevates both the artist and the hospitality experience.
By giving artists a meaningful platform within a luxury setting, we demonstrate that ambitious, conceptually rich work can live seamlessly in these environments. The balance comes from curating a narrative rooted in authenticity—connecting the artwork to the hotel’s context, values and atmosphere—and crafting a visual story that honors the artist’s integrity while enriching the guest’s sense of place. In doing so, we invite viewers to experiment with the reality of living with art: to imagine what it would feel like for a piece to inhabit their own space, their own home and to experience the intimacy and impact that art can bring into everyday life.
With The Guild and The Granger now operating as cultural destinations, how does Oram think about scaling this model without losing its site-specific authenticity?
JF and KM: We approach every new location with a fresh mindset. We know we can’t just copy and paste it into a new city. That wouldn’t honor the new neighborhood.
Scaling for us means scaling our curiosity, not our aesthetic. We spend a lot of time listening to the local community, meeting local artists and trying to understand what makes that specific neighborhood special. Our goal isn’t to import our version of culture, but to highlight the incredible culture that already exists right there. We want to be a good neighbor first, and a hotelier second.
The hospitality landscape is crowded with “art-forward” hotels. What distinguishes a truly art-driven property from one using art primarily as a branding tool?
JF and KM: While there’s certainly an increase in hotels featuring art, it’s important to distinguish between mere “decoration” and a deeply integrated artistic experience. Many properties incorporate art to signal prestige or create a visual identity—but a truly art-driven hotel embeds the artwork into the guest experience itself and becomes an ongoing narrative.
At the Granger and The Guild Hotels, for example, the collaboration with UC San Diego’s Stuart Collection goes beyond aesthetics. Art isn’t just on the walls; it is an investment in the community and becomes part of these historic hotels’ identities and narratives. Pieces are thoughtfully selected and placed to provoke engagement, spark conversation and offer a cultural experience that resonates with the location and the hotel’s ethos. The goal isn’t just to look “luxurious” or Instagram-worthy—it’s to offer a space where the presence of art actively shapes how guests perceive and inhabit the environment.
In short, it’s the difference between art as a backdrop and art as an immersive lens through which the hotel experience is curated.
Jennifer, as an art advisor, how do you approach artist selection for a hospitality setting? What factors matter most: conceptual rigor, audience engagement or how the work interacts with the architecture itself?
JF: In selecting work for Oram Hotels, I am always asking: “What is the artwork’s potential—in its concept, its context and its capacity to transform both space and viewer?” For this year, under the theme “border,” we focused on artists whose practices interrogate thresholds and the liminal—material, geographic, cultural, sensory. Their works do not merely adorn walls; they exist in dialogue with the site, the community and the unseen contours between relationships, human experience, land, lived realities and the complex narratives that define our region. We wanted to engage with the idea of “border” both as concept and as experience, embracing inherent tensions, its potential and its limits.
For example, as well as showcasing the work of Max Hooper Schneider, as the inaugural emerging artist for the Stuart Collection, the first exhibition, “Everything Touches,” highlights ten regional artists (Yomar Augusto, Victoria Fu, Denja Harris, Josh Herman, Jeremy Priola, Walter Redondo, Georgina Reskala, Matt Rich, Reinhart Selvik, Lizzie Zelter) and celebrates the strength that emerges when art considers difference—textures, materials, ideas and individuals—and demonstrates how connection can arise across perceived boundaries. The result is a living conversation between art, architecture and community. We are committed to inviting artists, both well-established and emerging, who resist static definitions—whose pieces challenge boundaries, invite encounter or shift our sense of place. In doing so, we allow each guest to enter a space where difference becomes connection. We think of border not as a barricade but a myriad of possibility. Balancing all these elements ensures that Oram Hotels becomes more than a place to stay—it becomes an inclusive, engaging and immersive environment where art, community and architecture intersect.
From a guest’s perspective, how does this model reshape what it means to “stay” somewhere? Are we moving toward hotels that double as cultural institutions?
JF and KM: Travel today is increasingly about connection—engaging with the culture and creative identity of a place rather than simply seeking escape. In hotels that prioritize curated art and authentic exhibitions, like we are doing, the experience of staying becomes something closer to moving through a living gallery. Guests encounter works in a way that feels intimate and organic, more akin to being inside an exhibition than passing through a commercial environment. The hotel becomes an extension of the institution, offering a space where art is not only displayed but thoughtfully contextualized and deeply felt.
As hotels become platforms for cultural expression, they begin to operate in parallel with cultural institutions and galleries, like we are doing with the Stuart Collection partnership. This creates a unique kind of access point for the artist: one based on lived experience rather than rarified observation. Guests aren’t just viewing culture—they’re inhabiting it. And in that sense, Oram Hotels and JFiN Collective are moving toward a vision of hotels that double as cultural institutions, places where hospitality, artistry and local identity converge to create a deeper, more resonant understanding of a place.
As the boundaries between art, design and experience continue to blur, what trends do you see shaping the next decade of art-led hospitality?
JF and KM: One of the most meaningful trends shaping the next decade of art-led hospitality is a move away from relying on marquee names, fixed “investment” collections, or one-off commissions and toward an ongoing, evolving narrative shaped by artists and craftspeople whose work reflects the character and pulse of a place. Instead of relying on an art-market checklist, hotels are beginning to cultivate living relationships with regional and representative makers—creating space for new voices to emerge and for the story of the property to shift over time.
This reflects a broader cultural shift: collectors and travelers are seeking experiences that feel grounded, specific and human. They want to encounter work that carries the authenticity of its origins—the hands that made it, the traditions that inform it, the landscape or neighborhood that shaped it. In this context, art-led hospitality becomes less about spectacle and more about sustained dialogue.
We think the future lies in hospitality spaces that operate as cultural ecosystems—where artists are not simply installed but continuously engaged, and where their evolving practices help shape the identity of the property over months and years. Hotels and their guests become cultural participants rather than cultural consumers, offering environments that are refreshed and reimagined through ongoing collaboration and exhibition.
In this model, art doesn’t merely decorate a space; it animates it. And guests aren’t just observers—they step into a shared, ever-evolving story that reflects the depth, diversity and authenticity of the region itself.
